Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been one of the most popular games thus far to embrace micropayments, selling additional game content to players for small sums of money after the initial purchase. The company has already released seven content packs for its PC and Xbox 360 role-playing game, charging $.99 to $2.99 for add-ons that range from horse armor to new dungeons, locations, and side quests.

In addition to being somewhat controversial among gamers, the add-ons have raised questions about how Bethesda would handle possible expansion packs to its game. With The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the company released a pair of expansion packs for the PC version of the game, Tribunal and Bloodmoon, and later on compiled them with the original game for the Morrowind Game of the Year edition on Xbox.

A product listing spotted on GameStop.com today (pictured above) only raises more questions, as the online retailer is accepting preorders for the Knights of the White Stallion Expansion Pack for the PC version of the game. Or was, at any rate. Shortly after GameSpot sent a request for comment to Bethesda, the listing disappeared from the retailer's site. GameStop was asking $19.99 for the expansion, and listed it with a November 21 shipping date. The page included no other information on the pack, and a search for an Xbox 360 counterpart page yielded no results.

Still up on the site (as of press time, at least) are limited edition premium packages for Splinter Cell: Double Agent on the Xbox 360 and Bully on the PlayStation 2. The limited edition of Rockstar Games' controversial schoolyard action game is advertised as a GameStop/EB Games exclusive, and includes an official Bullworth Academy dodgeball and a Bully comic book with the game for $49.99. For Sam Fischer's latest exploits, GameStop lists the $69.99 collector's edition as including special packaging and a bonus DVD featuring a documentary titled True Life of a Cover Operative, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game, interviews with series voice actor Michael Ironside, tips and tricks, mini-Web films, and more.

Finally, for gamers with anger-management issues prone to hurling controllers across the room, help could be on the way. GameStop is listing a NERF-branded PS2 controller for release later this year from peripheral manufacturer Pelican. Frustrated gamers are still advised to keep their tempers in check, however, as nothing hurts quite like NERF in the eye.

Please note, while retailer listings frequently jump the gun on publishers' product announcements, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's existence, nor should the absence of a listing be considered as proof that a game isn't coming to a given platform.

Questions about said add on (expansion, what ever you want to call it) were put forward to Bethesda, if the site was hacked and there is no official release being made by Bethesda surly they would of just said its faulse and has nout to do with us?? as they decided to give a "no comment" awnser and then had the game site remove the pre order page this could well be the game site accidentaly applying the pre order to their website ahead of Bethesdas schedule.

There is a free mod called the same thing - see it at Planet Elder Scrolls website in their mods section. Very unprofessional to spread this news based on one retailer. What if the site's been hacked or something? Or this business is struggling and they wanted some free publicity? I saw a website that said UFO's were real? Why are they not being talked about on the BBC or ABC? I mean if it just takes one website.......

It is a free mod - wonder if the site was hacked? In any event one retailer should not be enough for this tittle tattle news spreading like this. What's the point? And it's so UNPROFESSIONAL!!!! You can see the free mod called the same here: << LINK REMOVED >>

Wasn't there a free mod called something like 'Knights of the White Stallion'? Also, these micropayments are always talking about as just a little payment, which in one way they are. But look at it this way. If the full 100 hour game is $40 should some armour for your horse be 5% of the cost of the game? Does it give 5 hours of gameplay? 5% of 100 hours? Same goes for the other add-ons.

pleeseee i agree w/ u i miss being a werewolf and pwning n00bs i dont think the expansion will be able to handle my pwnsauce character though lvl 36 and almost 37 i wonder wat the expansion gonna be like though hopefully something like the bloomoon expansion for morrowind

Expansion to Oblivion. Interesting. Even though there's no confirmation, I won't be surprised if Bethseda announces an expansion to Oblivion, considering how good it is and its past experiences releasing expansions for Morrowind.

Yay an expansion for Oblivion. Oh and for the PC users who complain about paying for add-ons, you do realise that having the internet is one way of not having to pay for them. Having a rich friend who will put them on a disc for you is another too.

Games are expensive, MINOR downloads should be free on the 360, of course MAJOR expansions can reasonably demand a fee. These companies like Bethesda need to show some good will and reward the consumers purchase. STOP CHARGING 360 OWNERS FOR SMALL ADDITIONS !!!!!!!!!

Will you American people stop complaining about $70 games???? In the UK, we pay £50 (almost $100) for a standard Xbox 360 game! Well, I don't. I let my brother pay for them. I don't think they're worth it (except for games like Oblivion).

DANG 70 DOLLARS FOR A GAME! Well, at least its the special edition and not the standard edition. Hopefully, the Wii will have cheaper games than the rest of the next-gen systems. Seriously, games are burning a hole into my pocket. Just think about it, you could use to get two new games for under 100, now they're way over 100 dollars. Then again, back in the days of nintendo and n64, games use to be around 60-70, DAMN. Guess there is no such thing as good old nostalgia for video games.

why cant they just ship discs with the expansions like they did with the map packs for halo? just charge a minimal fee, and i mean minimal. If this is just an expansion, not big enough to be a stand alone game, but not small enough to be microtransaction, then it shouldnt cost more than 10-20 bucks in my eye. and it should come with its own new set of acheivements. then its worth it.

yah, heres the prob with the 360, u cant really do an expansion on the games for it apparently, but it would be nice, IF the expansion disk was for 360 and u could play the expansion part with the chearcter u used for Oblivion, and to go back to the reg places not in the expansion u switch disks again, hmm thats sounds like a crappy idea, but ...... u decide

"bonus DVD featuring a documentary titled True Life of a Cover Operative, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game, interviews with series voice actor Michael Ironside, tips and tricks, mini-Web films, and more. " - I saw something like that before... Metal Gear Solid maybe :lol: That Ubisoft just don't know when to quit copy and paste! :lol:

notTheOracle- Seriously maybe you should wake up!!Oblivion is not that great!!it has potential but it never used it fully!!i finished oblivion it was a big disappointment specially story wise. most people are so amazed with amazing graphics and vast hills that dont really step back and really look. After first playing the game i thought exactly like you but i after a while i can see cracks in the this perfect sphere!!It has a repetative voices, everyone tell you the same thing all the time,side quest are boring and after all the work of playing the ending is pathetic, its a good game but not great!!If you cant see these flaws you must be blinded by something

I dont know why teh PC gamers think they are so superior. Most of the user made mods suck. and the ones that are good are not GREAT. If they havnt realized by know that every bethesda made mod has come for the PC and the 360. So why do they think the 360 wont get the expansion? Correct me if Im wrong but dont Console games usually bring more profit to companys then there PC counter parts? Alot more people have consoles then they do PCs that are able to game.

Oblivion had so much potential but the level system and the pay for mods really screwed it? WAKE UP KID! Oblivion is the best game of the year and is way better than Morrowind or any of its predecessors (I played em all). It´s exactly this whole complaining about new features (if you want to see broken stuff, play Black and White or Arx Fatalis) and new games in general is what made me leave this whole "PC community". They just cannot appreciate great games for what they are - great games.